Stealing Cinderella
by tinkerbelldetention101
Summary: Short, fluffy songfic based off of Chuck Wicks' "Stealing Cinderella." James asks Lily's father permission to marry her, and learns a bit in the process.


Songfic based on Chuck Wicks' "Stealing Cinderella" Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: Seriously, if I owned the characters or the song, do you honestly think I'd be writing this? Me thinks no.

Stealing Cinderella

By: Aideen

_I came to see her daddy for sit down man to man  
It wasn't any secret I'd be asking for her hand  
I guess that's why he left me waiting in the living room by myself  
with at least a dozen pictures of her sitting on a shelf_

James cleared his throat before gathering his courage and ringing the doorbell. Moments later, a plump man in his early forties opened the door, looking mildly surprised as he saw James standing there.

"James!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know you were taking Lily out tonight." James cleared his throat again.

"I'm not, Mr. Evans," he replied. "I...I wanted to talk to you…about Lily." Caleb stared for a moment, a look of comprehension dawning on his face, before standing aside and waving James into the house.

"Oh. Um…why don't you go wait in the living room, James, while I go and get us some coffee from the kitchen." James obediently headed to the living room, where he paced for a while, before turning to the fireplace, looking for something to stare at. That's when he noticed the pictures lining the mantle and wall around the fireplace, pictures of Lily and her sister, Petunia, growing up. There had to be at least a dozen. __

She was playing Cinderella  
She was riding her first bike  
Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight  
Running through the sprinkler with a big popsicle grin  
Dancing with her dad, looking up at him  
In her eyes I'm Prince Charming  
But to him I'm just some fella  
riding in and stealing Cinderella

He stared at each picture in turn, smiling at her baby pictures, and laughing softly as he looked at the pictures of her toddler and childhood years. There was one in which she was about two, maybe three, years old, and she was dressed in a beautiful blue gown with a white crown on her head. It reminded him of that muggle story, Cinderella. Lily had made him read it once when she referenced it in a conversation (what that conversation was about, he had no idea), and he'd had no clue what she was talking about.

Next was a picture of a six year old Lily on a two-wheel bike, very obviously riding it on her own for the first time, as her proud grin suggested. He laughed at the next photo-a picture of a seven year old Lily bouncing on a bed, a pillow in mid-swing clutched in her hand, her father and sister both laughing and swinging pillows back at her.

His smile broadened at the picture of a ten year old Lily running through a sprinkler (he'd have to remember to thank Lily for teaching him all these Muggle things), with what appeared to be a popsicle stick stuck to her hand, the remnants of the treat smeared across her face. His eyes softened at another picture, which showed a sixteen year old Lily dancing with her father at her birthday party, gazing up at him with that blatant adoration so many girls seemed to have for their fathers. __

I leaned in towards those pictures  
to get a better look at one  
When I heard a voice behind me say  
"Now, ain't she something, son?"  
I said "Yes, she quite a woman"  
and he just stared at me  
Then I realized that in his eyes she would always be  


He leaned in closer, to get a better look at the photo. Something about it seemed…so special, and James knew, at that moment, gazing at that one picture, that although Lily may see him as her "Prince Charming," in keeping with the fairy tales she loved, her father merely saw him as someone coming in to steal Caleb's precious "Cinderella." He jumped when he heard Caleb's voice behind him.

"Isn't she something, son?" Caleb whispered softly, handing James a cup of coffee. James smiled his thanks as he answered.

"Yes, she's a quite a woman, sir." Caleb turned his head and stared at James, confused.

_  
Playing Cinderella  
Riding her first bike  
Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight  
Running through the sprinkler with a big popsicle grin  
Dancing with her dad, looking up at him  
In her eyes I'm Prince Charming  
But to him I'm just some fella  
riding in and stealing Cinderella  
_

James glanced at the photographs again, and realized with a start that Caleb still viewed Lily as the little girl the pictures depicted.

"Well, son," Caleb said, drawing James out of his thoughts. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, sir, Mr. Evans, sir," James stammered, "Lily once said that if I really wanted to, really meant it, I'd go through you, and so, I am."  
"Son, what in the name of Christ are you talking about?" Caleb asked.

"Sir, I'm trying, and failing miserably, to ask if I could ask your daughter, Lily, to marry me," James finally managed to get out. Caleb stared at him in shock for a moment, then glanced at the photos again.

_  
He slapped me on the shoulder  
Then he called her in the room  
When she threw her arms around him  
That's when I could see it too  
_

"Time to let her go," Caleb muttered to himself before turning back to James. "Well, son, if I have to lose her to anyone, I'm glad I'm losing her to you. I couldn't picture a better man for her." He slapped James' shoulder, then hollered for Lily.

"Yes, Daddy?" she asked, smiling at Caleb, while her eyes searched James' face, trying to figure out what he was doing there. They didn't have a date that night, did they?

"Well, Lily, your young man here obviously loves you very much, because he remembered something very important that you told him once."

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"He remembered you once told him that if he really wanted to, really meant it, he'd have to get my permission first to marry you, and that's what he just did." It took Lily a moment to understand what her father had said, and then she flung her arms around James in happiness.  
"Can I take that as a yes?" James whispered into her ear.

"Yes!" she cried before running to her father to hug him too. It was in that instant, as Lily threw herself into her father's arms, that James could see what Caleb saw: a little girl, playing Cinderella, riding her first bike, pillow fighting, running threw a sprinkler, and dancing with her father.

_Playing Cinderella  
Riding her first bike  
Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight  
Running through the sprinkler with a big popsicle grin  
Dancing with her dad, looking up at him  
If he gives me a hard time  
I can't blame the fella  
I'm the one who's stealing Cinderella_

Caleb smiled at his new son-in-law, six months after the night James had stood stammering on the Evans' front step, at James and Lily's wedding reception.

"Well, you've got her. Now, if you hurt her, I'll kill you," Caleb said before slapping James' shoulder and wandering away. Remus glanced at James, raising his eyebrows.

"I can't blame the guy if he gives me a hard time," James said, gazing at his new wife, thinking back to that night six months ago. "After all, I'm the one who's stealing Cinderella." Remus looked slightly confused, but James just shook his head before going to rescue Lily from his aunt.

Caleb, who had been within earshot during that conversation, gazed nostalgically at his daughter, as she morphed from beautiful new bride to three year old girl playing dress up with her sister as if no time had gone by since that day. "Goodbye, Cinderella," he whispered softly, raising his champagne glass in a silent salute to his new son-in-law, and a father's goodbye to his little princess.

**A/N: sniffs Awww!!! Almost makes me wish I had a dad!Hehe!!! Anyways, I know fans of my story "Rebirth" are probably pretty ticked that I'm writing this instead of updating that, but I have a legit excuse, honest!!! Writer's block. It sucks. I've come up with half a dozen new stories, and nothing for that damn one. Moving on. Y'all know the drill: press the pretty button and review! Thanks! Aideen**


End file.
